Between The Truth And The Lies
by soulsoaringmusic
Summary: *FINISHED* A tragic event occurs in which Scully and Mulder's trust for eachother is tested. *Please read an review!*
1. Chapter 1

Summary: A friend of Mulder and Scully's is murdered and they fight to uncover who did it.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters unfortunately, the only character I own is Tom Patterson.  
  
Feedback appreciated!  
  
...  
  
11:22 PM Outside the KRC Warehouse  
  
Two tall men stood in the corner of the alley, their large black shadows engulfing the brick wall behind them. Scully and Mulder inched their way in only to find their friend who appeared to be standing still against his will. Mulder headed closer to him cautiously, but he gave Mulder a negative look. He then glanced behind him to make sure the men didnt see Mulder.  
  
"You shouldn't have came here," he managed between clenched teeth.  
  
Mulder remained in the shadows. Before he could say anything, the men returned to him. They restrained him and took him into the Warehouse, and Mulder and Scully followed quickly behind.  
  
From what Mulder could tell it was seemingly large inside. The echo of the mens shiny black shoes could be heard clearly as they headed deeper into the building.  
  
It appeared to Mulder that the government was giving him a choice to be a part of an inside opperation. Whatever it was, Mulder knew that he would refuse.  
  
The darkness was powerful, Mulder felt useless to him. He faintly heard Scully pull her gun out of it's holster, and he did the same. There was a break of silence- and that's when Mulder heard it. The painful sound of gunfire echoed through the building and the man's body crashed to the ground.  
  
Scully turned on her flashlight waving her gun around in frustration, but the men were nowhere in site. She then signaled to Mulder and he went searching for them while Scully raced over to the lifeless corpse of her friend. She propped his limp body up on her knee and his head fell back revealing the wound. The gunshot was fired directly to his temple; he died instantly.  
  
She fought to regain herself, and the flood of emotion that came over her soon turned into anger. She headed out of the Warehouse in rage, the blood pumping through her vains. Each step she took seemed to take an eternity as she slowly felt the shooters slip out of her trembling hands.  
  
Her flashlight started to dim and seconds later went out completely. She slammed on it with her fist in anger, but soon started running again. It was pitch black and she couldn't see a thing. She picked up her pace carrying her legs as fast as they could go. While running through the dark empty corridors, she suddenly hit her head off of something hard, causing her to lose her balance and fall to the floor.  
  
She could feel a rush flowing to her head as she slowly slipped from conciousness.  
  
Mulder returned to the warehouse to find Scully, and was surprised to see her laying unconcious on the ground. He felt for a pulse as he heard the ambulence siren roar as the vehicle pulled up to the Warehouse. She must've dialed them for medical assistance. Now, she needed it herself.  
  
... 


	2. Chapter 2

No feedback so far for the last chapter...so I decided to post this now.  
  
CHAPTER 2  
  
...  
  
6:03 AM  
  
I lay quietly in bed, unaware of my surroundings. My head is throbbing, and I cannot remember how I got here.  
  
The gentle breeze from what seems to be an open window dances across my skin.  
  
All is quiet.  
  
The silence is almost erie.  
  
The silence drowns out as I hear shuffling across what sounds like a wooden floor. It sounds like walking; I can feel the presence of someone else in the room. My mind tells me to open my eyes- just for a moment, but my body is too weak and tired.  
  
A warm rush of air brushes past my ear. It was frightening at first, but as the warmth grew more steady, I had a guess of what it was. I forced myself to open my eyes, and to my relief it was merely just the presence of a man whom I knew all too well.  
  
Mulder.  
  
He seemed a bit surprised that I had awakened, and greeted my wandering eyes with a gentle grin. "How are you feeling?" he said with a look of concern.  
  
Despite the pounding in my head and the aching in my body, I attempted to get up out of the bed to reassure myself that everything was fine. I managed to sit up, but my head dropped into my hands like the weight of a bowling ball. I winced in pain, trying not to let Mulder see. With both of his arms he immediately tilted my head back, lying me back down on the bed. I was obviously still in pain, but did not speak. All that I had the strength to do was to give Mulder a look of worry and confusion. "You werent in any shape to walk yourself into your apartment."he said. I wanted to talk, but Mulder knew that it wouldn't be a good idea. "You need rest. I'll explain later," he said with a reassuring smile as he pulled the covers over me.  
  
Scully closed her eyes for what seemed a second, but was surprised when she looked at the clock on the wall which said 9:30 AM. She sat up once again, this time slower, and gathered herself together. She figured Mulder had left for work hours ago, and that she should probably get to work too.  
  
...  
  
Mulder hadn't got much sleep that night; checking up on Scully, making sure she was recovering properly. She had a nice sized cut on her forehead, and he wasn't surprised that she didn't remember it this morning when she woke up. He was tired, but was used to staying up into the late hours.  
  
It was different this time though. Mulder and Scully were bound to have accussations against them which held them responsible for the death of Assistant Director Walter Skinner. It was only a matter of time.  
  
Mulder couldn't help but feel twisted inside. This was bound to happen. Ever since Skinner started supporting their investigations and leaking them information, he had a bad name with the government. The government couldn't afford to have Skinner around because it was hurting their greater cause- the government's cause to distort the truth.  
  
The closer they got to the truth, the more his life was at risk. That's how all of Mulder's informants ended up. He somehow thought that it would be different with Skinner, but now he regrets that he hadn't seen the obvious sooner.  
  
But Mulder often thought of how Scully and him managed to stay alive throughout the chaos of this government charade. Through all the chasing, all of the tests, the ailments, the diseases- only to find themself back where they left off.  
  
He was glad he still had her.  
  
The only person he had left in the world that he could trust was Scully. And he wasn't about to lose her. He sat, fiddling with one of his many #2 pencils as he thought about how he would tell Scully about Skinner. Or maybe she'll remember. Then again, it would be better if she didn't.  
  
...  
  
TBC  
  
Feedback!!! lol 


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3  
  
...  
  
10:00 AM I walked into work felling alot better than I had earlier today. Despite the sizely cut on my forehead, I was feeling fine.  
  
I entered the gloomy basement office only to find my partner burying his head in work as usual. He looked up at me when I walked in, and I gave him a smile to let him know I was alright. He nodded his head and returned the smile. He looked me over intently for a moment before he began to talk.  
  
"Scully- do you remember- anything from last night?" he asked, his voice alittle shakey.  
  
"Honestly Mulder? I couldn't tell you anything I did after walking into work last night," I told him.  
  
He exhaled loudly through his mouth and wiped his hand down his face. "Skinner died last night, Scully."  
  
I couldn't believe what I just heard. I could feel my face wrinkle up instantly. Skinner was more than my boss, he had become a great friend in which Mulder and I confided in these past few months. I looked for the words to say, the questions to ask, but all I could manage to say through the huge lump in my throat was, "How?"  
  
Mulder then explained to me that he and I were there when Skinner was killed and he also explained how I got the wound which was still tender on my forehead.  
  
"I don't know how much longer it will be until they start making accussations against us," Mulder said with concern.  
  
I sat down in a chair located directly in from of Mulder's desk. "What are you suggesting we should do?" I asked.  
  
There was a pause. "I wish I knew," he replied flatly.  
  
Scully exited the room while Mulder remained at his desk searching for answers in his mind. He knew what he had to do. Finding who did this might not be easy, but Mulder knew he had to. He had to do it not only for himself, but he had to do it for Skinner as well.  
  
Mulder was having trouble reading in between the lines. He didn't know what to believe anymore. He tossed the files he was working on onto the desk, propped his feet up, and left out a drawn out sigh. Scully and him would have to look through Skinner's apartment and possibly return to the warehouse to look for anything that might give them a lead on the killer's whereabouts.  
  
...  
  
Scully walked out of her apartment building only to find Mulder sitting in a navy-blue rental Sedan. She now knew that Mulder meant business, and she felt strongly about this too. It was only fair that justice was brought to whoever did this.  
  
She caught Mulder's eye as she walked up to the car, and he leaned over the seat to open the door. She took that as a sign that he wanted to get this over with...so she got into the car quickly and slammed the door shut.  
  
Mulder already had the engine running. He drove away and headed to Skinner's where they hoped to find any traces that might have been left behind.  
  
Scully was worried about Mulder, she was certainly aware of the circumstances of the situation, but he seemed to be acting differently than he usually does around her. She looked over at him with concern; his eyes were focused on the road and he had a down-right look of seriousness on his face. She respected his determination, and would stand by him through the investigation even if she never again remembered what happened that night.  
  
She would do it for him.  
  
They up to Skinner's apartment building and made their way up the stairs of the main entrance.  
  
A trail of thoughts went through Mulder's mind. He didn't feel comfortable going through Skinner's things yet alone going into his apartment. Especially now that he wasn't around. Maybe he was just being paranoid of what he wouldn't find...or what he would. He had to keep personal issues aside though in order to maintain clear judgment. He also felt bad for not acknowledging Scully more lately, after all she was with him in this too. His paranoia wasn't doing either of them any good, he knew.  
  
"Suck it up and be a man," he said to himself with confidence as he unlocked the door of his former bosses apartment.  
  
...  
  
TBC  
  
Feedback please :)  
  
~*Jess*~ 


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4  
  
...  
  
Mulder entered the apartment room first, with Scully following him close behind. He looked around the living area closely while Scully headed to a wooden desk by the window.  
  
Mulder looked through shirt and pants pockets for anything that Skinner might have left there, but so far he had no luck.  
  
Scully began picking through the papers that were randomly scattered across the top of the desk. Long distance phone bill..junk mail..ah, what was this. 'Warehouse on 6th Street' was all that the small piece of paper read.  
  
"Mulder-" she said, calling him over to the desk.  
  
He walked over to her retrieving the piece of paper from her hand.  
  
"This isn't Skinner's handwritting," he said as he handed her the piece of paper back.  
  
"Well then who's is it?" she asked while bagging the snippett of paper.  
  
"That's what *they're* gonna find out for us," he replied as he walked out of the apartment.  
  
...  
  
1 hour later at The Lone Gunmen's  
  
The Lone Gunmen were happy to see their two good friends again, although it was under such upsetting circumstances.  
  
Mulder explained their dilema, and they showed their sympathy all the same. Scully handed the piece of paper to Byers, who then placed it in the scanner.  
  
Langly searched through the computer files for any signiture matches from the Identification tags. The computer was routing through various ID's when it suddenly came to a stop.  
  
'Search is complete' said a browser window that popped up.  
  
"From what we can tell, it looks like we've got your guy," Byers said as he handed Scully the results.  
  
"The resemblence in the handwritting is unquestionable," she said in amazement. "And the suspect, isn't much of a surprise either," she grumbled as she raised an eyebrow to Mulder.  
  
After overlooking it breifly, she handed the results to Mulder. He looked at it in anger, but like Scully, wasn't surprised.  
  
"We're going to find him," Mulder stated simply as he threw the piece of paper down onto the computer desk.  
  
And Scully knew that he was all too serious.  
  
*two days later*  
  
After a long day at work, and no luck on the investigation, Scully finally returned to her apartment. She placed her weapon and badge on the end table by the sofa. She noticed that she had one message on her machine.  
  
"Who could that be," she thought aloud.  
  
She listened to the message, It was Kersh saying that Skinner's funeral was going to be held on Friday. That was tomarrow. She didn't bother to call Mulder; she figured he had recieved a message as well. She went into the bedroom and was asleep in no time at all.  
  
I'm walking through what seems to be an abandoned alley. I can hear the sound of the raindrops hitting the ground. But I'm not alone. I can see a figure standing next to me but I can't make out who it is. Everything is blurry...and is moving slowly. I hear something behind me; almost like a muffled talking. I look over my shoulder and there is a man standing with his knees, talking to me. Everything that comes out of his mouth is muffled..but I can see the man clearly. He is Skinner. He motions for me to stay where I am, and I do as he commands. Then from the corner of my eye, I can see the the figure of the person who I saw earlier coming towards Skinner. The person is still blurry as before. He raises his arm out in front of him, but before I can stop him, he fires his gun. I try hard to see who this man was...but he remains a blur in my memory.  
  
Scully jerked up from her sleep. She was breathing heavily and was drenched in sweat.  
  
She thought she was dreaming, but it all felt so real. She couldn't tell the difference, whether it was just a dream or if it was her memory coming back to her.  
  
She told herself that she had to remain calm, and that she was overreacting. The clock showed that it was 6:10; her alarm wouldn't go off for another 20 minutes. She had no use in trying to fall back to sleep, so she just got out of bed and started her morning alittle earlier than usual.  
  
She walked into the kitchen and put a pot of coffee on. Thats when she remembered that it was Friday- today was Skinner's funeral.  
  
She prepared some more appropriate clothes for the ocassion.  
  
This was not going to be a good day.  
  
...  
  
TBC  
  
please R&R!  
  
~*Jess*~ 


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5  
  
...  
  
Mulder arrived at the cemetary 10 minutes later than he was supposed to. He didn't want to be the first to arrive...it would just be awkward. Besides, it wasn't like Mulder to be on time for anything.  
  
The grass was still fresh with morning dew. It was a damp and gloomy day, typical for the occassion.  
  
Mulder peered through the somewhat large crowd and soon spotted Scully. He felt out of place here. All of Skinner's family and the people that were so close to him were in a time of mourning. He had to be with someone familiar, and who better than Scully. He walked over to her casually and stood by her side. Luckily, Mulder hadn't interrupted the preacher, who was just about to begin. He kept his head down in silence; he hadn't really realized how much Skinner meant to him until these past few weeks.  
  
He glanced over at Scully, who had cloudy eyes. He could tell by the expression on her face that she was uncomfortable, that she didn't want to cry. He reached over slowly and took her hand, letting her know that it was okay. She clenched his hand in return and they stayed like this for the remainder of the funeral.  
  
They looked at the headstone one last time before returning to the office.  
  
They had work to do.  
  
...  
  
Scully drove to work by herself today since Mulder and her took different vehicles to the funeral. She had been thinking a lot lately about the flood of recent memories that had been drowning her thoughts. Memories that were better off left alone, images she wish she hadn't remembered. It was like re-opening a fresh wound.  
  
What taunted her even more was the fact that the enemy remained a faceless reminder in her head. She hadn't told Mulder yet that she remembered; he had enough things to worry about for now and had other things on his mind.  
  
As she was on her way to work she realized that she didn't have her gun or purse with her, which contained her identification tag. She must've forgot it back at her apartment.  
  
She stubbornly turned the car around and headed back home. She would just have to be a few minutes late.  
  
*10 minutes later*  
  
Scully walked through the large hollow hall of her apartment building, soon arriving at her door.  
  
There was a man she had remembered seeing earlier who was now in the same hall as she was. That was odd, and she wasn't taking any chances. Out of instinct she swiftly pulled her jacket away, going for her gun. She then remembered it was still in her apartment, along with her identification tag.  
  
The guy looked harmless, and there was no use in running now. She slapped a look of surrender on her face. The man was now only a short distance away from her, and he extended a friendly hand to her for a handshake. She looked at him awkwardly as she went to shake his hand.  
  
"Agent Thomas Patterson, m'am," he said with all seriousness.  
  
She had to hold back from laughing. She remembered this guy, he was a blonde, ambitious, young man who was in the practice to be a Federal Agent just a few years back. She'd say he was now in his late twenties. Skinner had "assigned" him to a few cases with her and Mulder for a learning experience.  
  
"How can I help you Tom?" she asked as if he were a child.  
  
"I'm here concerning what you saw the night of A.D. Skinner's death, Agent Scully." He was really getting the hang of this.  
  
"Like I've said before, I was knocked unconscious and have no memory of it," she replied matter of factly as she began unlocking the door to her apartment.  
  
"I have reason to believe that's not completely true Agent Scully." She was taken back by this.  
  
How could he know?  
  
"I have information regarding his death, and I can't be honest with you until you stop feeding lies to me," he said with sincerity flooding his voice.  
  
"There's something you should know, information that has been withheld from you for quite some time. You have to trust me on this Dana."  
  
Who would've thought that a kid once taking lessons from her would now be back to give her some information of his own.  
  
...  
  
TBC  
  
Thanks for reading, please R&R!  
  
~*Jess*~ 


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6  
  
...  
  
The gurgling sound coming from the coffee pot soon died down.  
  
"Coffee's ready,"she said to Tom as she headed into the kitchen. Soon after, she came back into the living room holding two mugs of coffee in her hands.  
  
"Thank you m'am," he said, delighted to get his hands on some caffeine. Scully joined him on her couch.  
  
"Tom, please, call me Scully,"she told him. He nodded.  
  
"Agent Scully..."he began with hesitation,"I hate to be the bearer of unpleasant news.." There was a pause, but after Scully looked at him impatiently he continued.  
  
"Have you remembered anything..anything at all from the night of A.D. Skinner's death?"he asked nervously. He began fidgeting with the doily on the coffee table.  
  
She didn't know if it was right to tell him about the things she had been seeing. She wasn't quite confident enough; then again she was always the skeptic. She took a huge swig of her coffee.  
  
"No,"she said looking him straight in the eye. She wasn't lying, she was just being cautious. She had to feel for the boy though, she could tell he wasn't used to confrontations like this. "Tom, I'm ready to hear whatever it is that you need to tell me,"she assured him.  
  
"Mulder killed Skinner that night,"he finally managed to get out.  
  
"I beg your pardon, but I know that to be definitely not true,"she retorted. Her reaction made him even more uncomfortable.  
  
"I know your going to have a tough time believing this, but it's important that you hear me out, we don't have much time,"he pleaded with her. "Listen, I had a hard time believing it too, but I can't deny what I now know. I even have the prints to prove it to you; Mulder's prints are on the the murder weapon. He had Skinner's blood all over his shirt."  
  
Scully still had a look of doubt on her face. "What about the note we found in Skinner's apartment? That wasn't Mulder's handwriting," she scowled.  
  
"Let me start from the beginning,"he sighed. "If you remember a few months back, you and Agent Mulder were involved in an investigation dealing with the disappearance of a young girl." Scully nodded allowing him to continue.  
  
"A.D. Skinner along with Alvin Kersh saw the danger there was in this investigation for Mulder; he was making it too personal. Because of Mulder's persistence, Skinner and Kersh decided to close off any further investigation and were "closing a lot of doors" for Mulder at that point. As you may know, Mulder wasn't happy with this at all and there were harsh words exchanged."  
  
Scully took a moment to think. "I don't see how this has anything to do with the note.."she stated.  
  
"The story isn't finished, Agent Scully. Mulder didn't stop there. He continued to violate the bureau's policies, reluctant to accept the orders of Skinner or Kersh. Skinner knew that Mulder was one of his best agents, and he wasn't willing to take these problems to the bureau and take the risk that they would suspend him."  
  
"They then decided to meet in private to come to a solution for this problem.  
  
Kersh wrote down the place in where they would meet; the KRC Warehouse. Mulder felt as if Skinner and Kersh were a threat to his pursuit for the truth.  
  
These were very depressing times for him, Agent Scully- with his mother's death. You as a medical doctor should understand the mental state he was under.  
  
Anyway, Mulder found out about their meeting without anyone's knowledge, and took you along so that things wouldn't look suspicious.  
  
There you have it Agent Scully."  
  
She sat there, not wanting to believe a word that he said. The problem, was that she couldn't think of anything to disprove his story.  
  
"I'm sorry for your loss, Agent Scully. I know you've always shared a great deal of trust with him," he said, trying but failing to comfort her. Regardless of what she had just heard, she wasn't going to make up her mind until she was sure.  
  
"He doesn't want you remembering this, that's why he knocked you unconscious in hopes that you wouldn't, at least temporarily, remember," he explained.  
  
"That's not true. It was dark and I lost my sense of direction and tripped,"she told him.  
  
"Was that something you remembered, or is that what Agent Mulder told you?" he asked, knowing the answer.  
  
Scully didn't feel the need to answer him.  
  
"My point is, that it's only a matter of time when you start remembering things that have happened. When you do, we are going to have to use you as a witness. What I'm saying is, Mulder has already killed Skinner, who was next to a brother for him."  
  
He didn't finish his thought.  
  
He had made his point clear.  
  
Scully still wasn't making any definite assumptions. She knew she had to at least take some precautions though, either way. She left out a sigh of reluctance. "What do you want me to do?"  
  
...  
  
TBC  
  
~*Jess*~ 


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7  
  
...  
  
Mulder had been waiting almost two hours for Scully to arrive at work. He was keeping himself busy with files, but was getting worried about where she was.  
  
Just when he was about to pick up the phone to call her, she walked into the room.  
  
He smiled pleasantly, hanging up the phone.  
  
"I was just about to call you," he told her.  
  
"I got sidetracked...I left my purse at my apartment and had to go back for it,"she explained, not making eye contact with him.  
  
"I've been working on some leads while you were gone, thinking a lot about how we should handle this."  
  
For the first time, Scully was feeling very uncomfortable around Mulder. She tried to hide it and played along.  
  
"Well Mulder, you can't just kill Kersh.."she told him.  
  
"I know Scully, that's why I'm having a tough time with this," he grumbled.  
  
"What are you planning on doing about it?"she asked, trying to get information out of him.  
  
What was she thinking? She was over-reacting...she didn't know anything for sure.  
  
"Sit here and think...see what fate has in store," he answered.  
  
...  
  
5:30 p.m.  
  
Scully had been working in the office with Muler for three hours now. They pretty much covered everything there was to cover, so she decided to pack it up and go home.  
  
"While your waiting for fate to take it's course, I'm gonna head home,"she said sleepily yet sarcastically.  
  
"Okay Scully, goodnight,"he said with a motion of his hand.  
  
Her high heels clicked as they splashed against the raincovered pavement in the parking garage.  
  
She finally arrived at her car, unlocked it, and sank down into the driver's seat. She needed a vacation- or at least a long bath.  
  
Why had she parked so far away from the exit of the garage? She didn't even park in the parking garage that she normally parks in.  
  
She started the engine and began to drive off.  
  
The rain is pouring down in sheets. I'm still upset that Mulder interrupted my perfect night of relaxation to go on one of his wild goosechases again.  
  
"So what is it this time Mulder? Just tell me your not chasing the Mexican Goat Sucker or a pizza delivery boy..because I'm not bailing you out on this one,"I babbled.  
  
Apparently he didn't finding that as amusing as I intended it to be. He just keeps on driving, in deep thought.  
  
"Scully, I can't explain right now but your just gonna have to trust me on this. It's serious." The silence was broken.  
  
***  
  
We arrive at a warehouse. What are we doing in a warehouse? Mulder heads in cautiously..and I'm now following him.  
  
Why is Skinner here with Kersh? Mulder's really got himself into trouble this time.  
  
***  
  
It's dark, I can't see, but Mulder advises me that we should keep our flashlights off for the time being. I can feel Mulder walk away from me, I go to follow him but have no idea where he went.  
  
What use is this flashlight if I can't use it? I hear a click. I know what that sound is. Someone is about to fire a gun. I have no choice but to pull out my flashlight. My heart just skipped a beat.  
  
The sound of gunfire was failure ringing in my ears. I might have been able to prevent this had I just pulled my flashlight out a moment sooner.  
  
Mulder is standing by Skinner with his gun drawn. Skinner is....dead. I'm staring in shock.  
  
"Oh my God..Mulder? What happ-"  
  
***  
  
*beeeeeeeep*  
  
The sound of rubber against blacktop screeched with an earsplitting sound as the car in front of Scully slamed on the breaks. She swerved hard and barely missed it, jolting her front a little. She gathered herself together and looked behind her to see if the person in the car was alright.  
  
To her surprise it was Mulder..he must've been leaving work. She didn't think he noticed it was her though because it happened so fast.  
  
She was a nervous wreck;between the recent revealing flashback and her almost fatal accident.  
  
She left out a deep, long sigh and headed home again.  
  
...  
  
TBC  
  
~*Jess* 


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8  
  
...  
  
Mulder pounded on the steering wheel in frustration. He wasn't hurt, at least not to his knowledge, but the shock of the situation had startled him a little.  
  
He drove away, not bothering to look back. Pulling onto the main road to return on his mission, he grabbed a hand full of sunflower seeds out of his jacket pocket.  
  
This wasn't going to be easy, but he knew it had to be done.  
  
Still slightly shaken, Scully managed to make her way to her apartment and shut the door behind her, slouching herself down into the cushioned sofa. She took a few deep steady breaths and exhaled slowly.  
  
She had the gull to call Mulder and check on his condition, but decided that it wasn't reason enough to bother him at home.  
  
After all he saw enough of her during the day..  
  
But on the other hand, he was always calling her. Before she could finish that thought, the phone began ringing.  
  
That was probably him, she moped, even though just a second ago she was fighting the urge to call him herself.  
  
"Scully," she answered in exhaustion.  
  
"Agent Scully, I have a lead on Mulder,"the man said urgently.  
  
"On Mulder?- who is this?"she demanded.  
  
"Agent Patterson m'am," he replied dutifully.  
  
Scully shuddered at the word "m'am. "Listen, "Agent Patterson"...I've had a really stressful day and I'm afraid you've caught me at a bad time," she explained.  
  
"I understand that Agent Scully, but I don't think you realize the seriousness of the situation. I think I know when Mulder plans to hit next, and you should be getting a call from him any moment now. He's planning on meeting with Kersh at a secluded military base about 20 minutes away.  
  
I found out about this just a few moments ago, Kersh was withholding information from me, but I think I-"  
  
Scully interrupted.  
  
"Why would'nt Kersh tell you about this? Why would he even agree to meet Mulder in the first place if he knew that Mulder was a threat-"  
  
"He's taken this into his own hands in hopes of cutting this off clean, the less I knew, the better. But the bottom line is, I know now and I think we can fight this."  
  
The sense of anticipation grew silent. Scully soon grew impatient and broke the silence.  
  
"So where are you now?"she asked.  
  
"I'm on my way there actually," he responded, in deep thought. He barely had the words out of his mouth when Scully's cell phone chirped.  
  
"Scully,"she answered.  
  
"Scully, I'm meeting with Kersh, but I need you here with me. I can't do this without you,"he told her desperately.  
  
"Wait, Mulder? Why are you meeting with Kersh, why didn't you tell me?"she felt a sense of betrayal although she knew she was just letting her personal weaknesses get in the way.  
  
"I told you I was going to, but I wasn't sure when. That doesnt matter now, I need you here as soon as you can come."  
  
She wanted so bad to be on Mulder's side, to be his loyal partner and to be there for him. At the same time, she wasn't sure she could.  
  
"Agent Scully? Is that Mulder on the phone with you?" she could hear him asking from the other phone.  
  
"Mulder I have to call you back,"she said quickly, hanging up before he could say anything.  
  
"Did he ask you to come there? You know what we have to do-" suddenly he was sounding protective. She hadn't decided what to believe yet, but knew she had to be at that military base either way.  
  
"I'm on my way now, tell me how to get there?"she said grabbing her coat.  
  
...  
  
The military base was dingy and depressing; it was obvious that the place was abandoned years ago.  
  
It felt as if the narrow passages could instantly swallow one up into the darkness.  
  
Mulder sneaked down a strip of metal and climbed up the steel ladder which towered 20 feet above the ground. He peered around the massive room with only the light of a flashlight, which created monserous shadows on the walls.  
  
The beam of the flashlight stopped when it finally caught what it was in search of.  
  
...  
  
Scully drove frantically to the warehouse, watching precious minutes go by on the digital clock on the dashboard.  
  
Thoughts were now spilling out; she could remember everything now as clear as day.  
  
It all finally made sense to her now and she made a very difficult decision.  
  
Scully knew that the Mulder she knew would never kill Skinner or her. But although Mulder had been hiding it from both others and himself- he was emotionally scarred and needed help. She just hoped she would reach the base before he took yet another life.  
  
Her cell phone rang, and she picked it up quickly.  
  
"Agent Scully, how is everything going?," Patterson asked in concern.  
  
"As planned, I'm pulling up to the building as we speak," she reassured him.  
  
"Great," he responded in relief. "Kersh has already arrived, give me a minute and I'll tell you how to get to him," Patterson instructed.  
  
"Kersh should've dealt with this more appropriately," she said. "I'm going in there and am going to take Mulder civily. We don't have to treat him like an infidel," she scolded.  
  
...  
  
TBC  
  
~*Jess*~ 


	9. Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9  
  
...  
  
"You wanted to see me, Sir," Mulder said casually.  
  
Kersh didn't respond however, he seemed to be in deep concentration.  
  
"So why this place? Your office under construction?" Mulder questioned impatiently.  
  
"Agent Mulder," he said with emphasis, almost with the tone of a television evangelist.  
  
"You know why you're here," he stated in seriousness.  
  
"Would you mind explaining for me Sir exactly what it is your implying?" Mulder was obviously disgusted with playing games. He'd pull his revolver out right now if he could.  
  
"You killed your boss Mulder, and I'd like to know what your going to do about it." Mulder was furious at this. They were framing Scully and him, he knew it would happen.  
  
"You think you can alter the evidence against me Kersh, but-"  
  
"If you admitt to the charges now we'll go easy on you, Agent Mulder," he said with a ruthless compassion.  
  
"Charges? Why? Because your framing me and Agent Scu-"  
  
"I could see to it personally that you are not taken off of the X Files and that Agent Scully lives," he said, interrupting Mulder in a loud manner.  
  
Now it was getting really personal.  
  
He heard the clicking of heels against the metal floor and knew who was coming. He swiftly grabbed his gun out of it's holster, pointing it at Kersh feircely. "Put your hands up Kersh!" he yelled.  
  
He could hear her coming nearer to him and he turned around slightly with a look of relief to see her. But she had her gun drawn as well- and it wasn't pointing at Kersh.  
  
"Scully, what are you doing?" he pleaded with her.  
  
"Mulder, put the gun down, I want to help," she said gently.  
  
"Scully, he wants to kill you!" he explained. His eyes were now back on Kersh.  
  
"I know what's going on Mulder, I know about Skinner. But I cant help you unless you let me." This time she was begging with her eyes.  
  
"Scully, Kersh killed Skinner. I can't believe your denying what you know is the truth!" In his voice he had a feeling of betrayl. He was getting upset and too unpredictable for Scully to manage. She became harsh with him and her forhead crinkled up.  
  
"Mulder- put the gun down or I'll be forced to shoot!"  
  
Mulder was reluctant but at last put his gun away. Scully loosened up when he did this, and put her gun away. Kersh left promptly to guide the guards which Agent Patterson requested to come.  
  
Scully got closer to Mulder. "We're going to take you in for further questioning," she said as calmly as possible.  
  
"This is rediculous! What did they tell you?"  
  
Scully needed to say something that would gain some of his trust for the time being so he would calm down and cooperate.  
  
"I know you didn't do this, and we're going to prove it to them," she whispered to him fiercly with a piercing look of partnership in her eyes. Mulder saw right through it.  
  
"If your trying to cover your own *ss on this Scully, don't bother. Regardless of what lies they are feeding you I didn't kill him and neither did you. I know what I saw, and thats less than you can say."  
  
Scully looked at him shocked and a little hurt.  
  
"The only *ss I'm trying to save is yours, now either you leave me help you or I'll have to use force," she scolded him.  
  
But Mulder pulled out his gun before she could even blink.  
  
"Keep your hands where I can see them," he warned her. "I didn't want it to have to come to this, but the only way we're going to get out of this alive is if you trust me. And if your not going to trust me, I'm going to have to force you to cooperate," he said in a serious yet somewhat sarcastic manner.  
  
Did Mulder really have it in him to shoot her? She wasn't willing to take that chance. She cooperated and didn't make any sudden moves.  
  
...  
  
TBC  
  
The next chapter is the last, I hope you all have enjoyed this story thus far!  
  
~*Jess*~ 


	10. Chapter 10

*CHAPTER 10*  
  
...  
  
They walked down metal ladders and through dark crawlspaces, not having much of an idea of their rate of progress.  
  
"This place is a maze, but we have to find a way out of here without them knowing," he whispered.  
  
"Then what Mulder? You can only run so far before they catch you again. Is that what you want? To be a fugative?" She was trying to scare him.  
  
They instantly became silent however when they heard the tapping of footsteps. It was two guards, they peered around carefully for a moment, then ran off in the opposite direction.  
  
Mulder began whispering in response to her last remark. "The only person who would have been a fugative in this whole mess was you Scully. They sent you out here after feeding you a story filled with lies about me being at the brink of depression and being completely suicidal, hoping you would have no choice but to finish me off when you got here because I wouldn't cooperate. You then would be taken in for questioning and the X Files would be over as we know it."  
  
She fell silent.  
  
"Face it Scully, they don't want the X Files around anymore just as much as they don't want me around. And without Skinner around, a lot of things will be changing as far as The X Files are concerned."  
  
He was busy looking for the fastest route out. Mulder felt a cold hand on his right shoulder followed by her warm breathing. She whispered to him.  
  
"Mulder- I believe you," she said in a trembling, frightened voice. He turned around, only to see a row of heavily armed agents who were ready to fire.  
  
Mulder and Scully turned around slowly with their arms raised in the air. But as they were turning they both dashed in seperate directions, luckily it was to dark for the shooters to fire at either of them.  
  
With the building being so complex, there was no telling where they could be. But there was 6 men, which allowed them to search more efficiently.  
  
Scully felt along the wall and turned the corner. There were doors upon doors, and she needed to find Mulder. She was walking in a slouched position, almost crawling. She could hear the faint whisper of a man.  
  
"Scully."  
  
She tried to move into the direction of the voice. "Mulder?" she whispered back.  
  
He came out of the shadows and was about to restrain her until she realized it wasn't Mulder. She drove her knee between his legs, maneuvered behind him, covering his mouth as she strangled him. She had to be quiet about it.  
  
Meanwhile, Mulder was hiding behind one of the many steel doors that covered the hallway walls. He peered around the corner to check for the men, then quickly stepped out of the room. He had to find Scully.  
  
There was no sign of Mulder nor the agents for a few minutes. Scully continued searching for Mulder in every place imaginable. But out of no where, someone had come up behind her catching her completely off guard.  
  
"Shhh..it's only me," Mulder whispered. They couldn't see eachother at this point, the darkness was powerful. Scully kept one hand on Mulder as he lead the way down the pitch black hallway.  
  
They walked until they came to the end where there was a large emergency exit door.  
  
The guards seemed to have moved in the opposite direction, Mulder and Scully were home free.  
  
At least they thought they were.  
  
There was a beam from a flashlight shining on the back of them.  
  
"Turn around nice and slow now, no sudden moves," a voice instructed from behind them.  
  
Mulder recognized right away who it was and was surprised to say the least. Scully was just as shocked, she couldnt believe how vulnerable she had been.  
  
"Agent Patterson..I see you've been promoted to doing official FBI dirty work," Mulder chuckled slightly while holding both hands in the air like this was some kind of joke.  
  
Patterson was angered at this and pointed his gun fiercely at Mulder.  
  
"My question is about Skinner. Why do it Tom?" Mulder asked, deliberately provoking Patterson's anger.  
  
"I did to him what is done to all people who choose not to cooperate with us..which I will now be doing to you as well," he explained with anticipation in his eyes and a finger on the trigger.  
  
Patterson made the mistake of not paying closer attention to Scully. When he looked away from her direction she slowly slipped her gun out.  
  
"If your smart, you'll put the gun down," she advised him as she pointed her own gun at him.  
  
"Dana," he laughed. "I can't believe that you for a minute had second thoughts about Mulder!" he was looking at her but still had his gun pointed at Mulder.  
  
"I don't want to shoot you Tom, put it down." Scully was now furious.  
  
"You wouldn't shoot me Dana," he stately simply while looking strongly at Mulder.  
  
"This is something you wouldnt do either, Tom. Just put it down, now," she said soothingly.  
  
He suddenly was filled with rage and looked at Scully once more.  
  
"NEVER underestimate me Dana!"  
  
Just as he began to pull the trigger, Scully took a shot at him. He fell to the ground instantly, and she looked relieved that she got to him before he shot Mulder.  
  
"Never underestimate a woman with a gun," she said as she walked over to him.  
  
Scully then looked over at Mulder's direction. He looked at the exit door and then at her, and they both knew to leave quickly.  
  
...  
  
They returned to Washington soon after, but allegations never were raised against either of the agents. Kersh kept them both on The X Files and under his close supervision.  
  
Patterson was reported as being the man responsible for Skinner's death.Nothing was ever mentioned about him again, and in some way Kersh got what he planned on that night. Whether Kersh thought Mulder to be more useful alive or he just wanted to wipe Patterson away clean, they didn't know. It remained a mystery to them, one that niether of them would ever dare to question. Some truths are left untold and some lies are left uncovered. Everyone has a secret, and these secrets would be burried along with the rest of the secrets at the FBI.  
  
THE END ....  
  
thanks for reading, I hoped you enjoyed :)  
  
~*Jess*~ 


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